The forest fell silent.
The wolf's body collapsed in two clean halves.
For a moment no one moved.
Elara Moonveil stared at the monster lying in front of her.
Her mind struggled to understand what had just happened.
One moment the wolf had been mid-air.
The next—
Dead.
She slowly lifted her gaze.
The boy standing before her held a black tachi at his side.
The blade was already back in its sheath.
His posture was relaxed.
Almost lazy.
But the air around him felt… strange.
Different.
Cold.
Her mage instincts reacted immediately.
What was that energy…?
It wasn't fire.
It wasn't wind.
It wasn't any element she recognized.
The boy spoke calmly.
"…You should step back."
Another wolf snarled.
Two remained.
Their red eyes locked onto Lysander.
Elara hesitated.
"You—"
"Later."
His tone wasn't rude.
Just focused.
The wolves attacked together.
One lunged from the front.
The other circled from the side.
Elara raised her hand instinctively.
Ice gathered in her palm.
But Lysander moved first.
His left hand rested lightly on the sheath.
His body lowered slightly.
His eyes focused on the wolf's center.
One step.
The draw was so fast Elara barely saw it.
A flash of black steel.
Then—
Click.
The blade slid back into the sheath.
The second wolf's head separated cleanly from its body.
The corpse collapsed beside the first.
The final wolf hesitated.
Animals understood danger better than humans.
It sensed something wrong.
But it was too late.
Lysander's eyes met the monster's.
Another step.
Another draw.
Another flash.
Click.
The forest became quiet again.
Three wolves.
Three bodies.
All cut by the same technique.
Elara lowered her hand slowly.
Her heart still raced.
"…That sword style."
She had never seen it before.
But something about it felt ancient.
Dangerous.
Lysander turned slightly toward her.
"You should save your mana."
His voice remained calm.
"This exam isn't over yet."
She frowned slightly.
"You're F rank."
He shrugged.
"So?"
She studied him carefully.
Her mage senses were still uneasy.
That strange energy she felt earlier…
It hadn't been mana.
Not exactly.
"…What was that technique?" she asked.
Lysander looked toward the deeper forest.
Where distant roars echoed.
More monsters.
More candidates fighting.
He answered simply.
"Just luck."
Elara narrowed her eyes.
Liar.
But before she could ask more—
A blue screen appeared in Lysander's vision.
Title Acquired
Survivor of Fate
You have survived the event where fate predicted your death.
Effect:
Reaction speed increased.
Another message appeared.
Technique Learned
Void Flash — Stage 1
Lysander exhaled quietly.
Good.
Then he looked toward the deeper ruins.
The real danger hadn't appeared yet.
Because somewhere in this forest…
The Ashfang Wolf King still existed.
And in the original novel—
That monster killed dozens of candidates.
Including several important characters.
Which meant one thing.
The exam was about to become much worse.